Space Shanties
by TMOHzone
Summary: A collection of Filks about the 'verse, all to the tunes of traditional seafaring songs.
1. The Firefly Serenity

**The Firefly _Serenity_**  
_("The Bonnie Ship the Diamond," traditional)_

_Serenity_'s a ship, my boys  
For the border worlds she's bound  
With all her shiny crew aboard  
And her holds all loaded down  
Captain Reynolds gives the order  
To sail the whole 'verse wide  
Where the sun it never sets, my boys  
And darkness fills the sky

_CHORUS  
And it's cheer up my lads  
Let your faith never lack  
For the Firefly _Serenity  
_Goes sailin' through the black_

We'll land upon Persephone  
Our goods there for to fence  
And if today's our lucky day  
There a new job to commence  
And if instead we run afoul  
Of some who'd do us harm  
We'll fight like hell to save our own  
Thankin' God we travel armed

Here's a health to the Independents  
Likewise to the man called Jayne  
Here's a health to those who've gone afore  
And to those what still remain  
We wear the pistols at our sides  
And the long coats of the brown  
From the shining chrome of Ariel  
To the docks at old Eavesdown

Now we'll not bide long planetside  
'Fore the old girl's gone again  
Our home's out there among the stars  
Where all the planets spin  
And if you ask us why we go  
Far beyond the reach of wave  
It's not just for the money, boys—  
We aim to misbehave!


	2. Eavesdown Docks

**Eavesdown Docks**  
_("Shores of Botany Bay," traditional)_

I was a lad of fifteen years  
When first I thought to roam  
Out on the streets of Dyton  
No more I'd make me home  
I swore someday I'd take me leave  
Of the old school of hard knocks  
I'd take a trip on an emigrant ship  
That's bound for Eavesdown Docks

_CHORUS  
Farewell to your streets of cobbles  
Farewell to your gaslamps, too  
Farewell to your jailers and jailhouse  
To hell with your whole damn moon  
For in the port's a spaceship  
She's fillin' up her stocks  
And if I can't pay then I'll have to stow away  
'Cause I'm bound for Eavesdown Docks_

The coppers they caught up to me  
And took me clean away  
Down to that hell they called a jail  
For a gorram six-month stay  
And when they'd had enough of me  
They opened up the locks  
And I told 'em straight I was gonna emigrate  
Off-world to Eavesdown Docks

And when I reached Perseph'ne  
Right quick I found me place  
I'd make me fortune off the boats  
A-comin' in from space  
And them as tried to keep me down  
The lot I soon outfoxed  
Now they're all dead or else they've fled  
From my turf on Eavesdown Docks

The best years of me life I've spent  
Servin' ships of every line  
I'm a right successful businessman  
Down to me hat so fine  
Now I outrank all the gentry  
That musta been a shock  
On account of me from the Colony  
Is the king of Eavesdown Docks


	3. Returning to Serenity

**Returning to Serenity**  
_("The Leaving of Liverpool," traditional)_

Farewell to you, dear friends and crew  
That's all I had to say  
I thought I'd leave their ways for good  
But we all knew I'd return someday

_CHORUS  
So fare thee well, Companions all  
For I'm returning to _Serenity_  
It's not the leaving this life behind that grieves me  
But, my captain, when I think of _thee

I have shipped on the Browncoat Firefly  
_Serenity_'s her name  
And Reynolds is the captain of her  
And some call her a flying shame

I have shipped with Malcolm Reynolds once before  
And I think that I know him well  
For if he calls you crew you can get along  
If not, you're in a flying Hell

But trouble has caught up with me  
On this moon I can't remain  
It's back to that old boat I must go  
Into the black again


	4. Our Witch River

**Our Witch River**  
_("The Irish Rover," traditional)_

In the year of Our Lord twenty-five seventeen  
We took off from Perseph'ne again  
We were sailing away with a cargo of beef  
For to carry on down to Jiangyin  
Well, my rusty old boat, she was barely afloat  
But oh, how the whole crew loved her  
She'd survived angry Feds, getting torn half to shreds  
And a child prodigy called River

There was Wash at the helm and the bridge was his realm  
There was Zoe, his wife and First Mate  
There was young Kaylee Frye, kept our ship in the sky  
And the hero of Canton called Jayne  
We'd Inara along, though she hardly belonged  
And a Shepherd, our souls to deliver  
And that damn Doctor Tam, from the Core Worlds he cam'  
And with him was his sister River

We had one million tons of that fine Canton mud  
We had two million guns from the war  
We had three million hills worth of St. Lucy's pills  
We had four million stamped protein bars  
We had five million cows and six million ploughs  
And seven million apples for Badger  
We had eight million dolls with the heads that wobbles  
And we'd one crazy girl called River

We'd not been in port fifteen minutes before  
Local hillfolk made off with our Doc  
And he had to make do without help from the crew  
For that's when the Shepherd got shot  
But them hillfolk got mad, vowed to burn out the bad  
Built a pyre for Little Sister  
We turned round right away, Big Damn Heroes saved the day  
And the life of our own witch, River


End file.
